Mast carriering solutions?

What worries me is how high I have to have it off the boat so it would clear the camper. Also having the tip of the mast clear the camper when going up/down a ramp, the last thing I want to have happen is the tip of the mast to go through the roof the camper when I'm driving on/off the ferry.

 

The mast will follow the trailer, so at the ramp it will tip up, as the trailer goes up or down the ramp. Of course, dips in the road will cause the mast to dip down, but the amount wouldn't be a lot. What is the height of the camper from the ground? What is the length of the mast and the length of the trailer with the boat loaded (including hitch)? I routinely carry a 28' mast on a 23' boat, mounted in a crotch at the aft end of the boat and a trailer mounted holder just forward of the bow. If going a long distance I have a third mount made from a 2x4 that locates in the middle of the mast, at the aft end of the centerboard case. This keeps the mast from pumping on the road and also keeps the stick straight, when I use the mast as a ridge pole, when I tarp over the boat.

 

The mast is 27feet long, the boat and trailer is about 20feet in total. The camper's roof is about 9.5feet (lets say 10feet to make it simple) off the road.

 

With all due respect, PAR.
You better be very concerned about what angle the trailer tips compared to the camper/ pickup.
I had a Tornado with a 31' mast. Pulled it with a van one day. Going out of the driveway the mast hit (lightly) the roof of the van. The mast was mounted typically, a tall post/cradle at the front, resting on the rear crossbeam (with a cradle).

Thought I had lots of clearance. Additionally what you see locally is not always what you have to drive over when you are going somewhere.

One suggestion above was to put a cradle on the camper, at the rear, which can rotate. Tie the back end of the mast down in a sling at the back of the boat. This lets the mast move at the back when you are turning or going thru a ditch.

 

Mount the mast in a normal crotch and other support on the boat. Let it hang out over the trailer both fore and aft. That much stick hanging in space, with a flag on it, just isn't worth getting excited about. I wouldn't risk it over the camper cap. They drag telephone poles down the road with dozens of feet hanging out aft of the trailer, with just a flag.

If it was me, I'd still mount it high enough to clear the average car hood, just in case JimBob or his half brother/uncle JoeLarry don't see the flag and bash into it at a red light. The mast on the boat, will likely make this easy enough and it's the simplest, most conventional approach, plus it'll still serve as a ridge pole for a tent, when parked.

 

My 2 cents- I don't much care for your current trailer. I'd like to see a steel frame crossmember near or at the transom when the boat is parked on the trailer. The wheels are about 2 feet too far forward as well. If you got a trailer that was about 10 feet longer overall, I think your mast problem would be solved along with several others. Your trailer ought to be about 22-23 feet long. This gives you the proper cg for stability, protects the boat from rear end bumps, and keeps the tongue weight reasonable with or without the boat on the trailer.

here's a link to one well known trailer mfg. See the A1620 and A1820 specs.
http://www.continentaltrailers.com/aluminum-a.htm

 

The transom of the boat is already about 6 feet past the back of the trailer so the end of the mast would technically be about 13-15 feet past the rear bumper of the trailer, I'll try it out in my driveway for the heck of it though.

Buying a new trailer is completely out of the question, though I can access the rear frame rails of the trailer so I can probably make the trailer I have now longer.

 

The angle you would need the mast to be at to shoot over the top of the camper with enough clearance would likely have the butt too close to the ground and the tip pretty damn close to the max 13'6" limit. You cant just have the tip at the hitch and all the rest hanging out the back, you would have way too much sticking out to be legal or more importantly, safe for those following, Just sticking a red flag on the end does not make it legal, each state has a different amount you can hang out past the back of the trailer and most small boats like beach cats are pretty much there with the standard configuration. Your only practical solution is to carry it on the camper, either the top or the side, while it would be a hassle as Par said when you have the trailer uncoupled, if you were to mount it on hooks on the side as someone suggested it would be easy enough to lift it off and put back on the parked boat, a typical beachcat size rig is quite light and easy for one person to handle.

 

Excuse me, but these numbers just do not seem to add up. If the camper is ten feet, how is it possible the boat and trailer is twenty feet long? A standard cab and bed Ford f150 is about 18 ft long, so your trailer is only 2 ft? I do not think so. Do you mean 30 ft perhaps? that means your trailer with Gizmo is is 12 ft from hitch to back of the boat? still seems a bit shy. I think over all length is closer to 35 or 36 ft.

with the overall length of the truck being about 18 ft (about 19 ft with the tail gate down), you can put the mast on top so it hangs over the front about 3 ft, that leaves six feet off the back of the camper over your trailer (only five ft from the back of the tailgate). this is not a problem. If you remove the trailer the six foot overhang up that high is not really a problem for short runs to the store as long as you have a flag on it.

You do not even need to alter the camper. Just wrap the mast in two places with foam padding and hold it in place with bungee cords, and than tie the mast to the top of your camper. You can put a cord from the mast to each of the front corners of your front bumper, and from the aft end of the mast to the corners of the back bumper. I routinely carry 17 ft kayaks and 20 ft long lumber on my 14 ft long toyota this way. You will also be able to see the front of the mast out the windsheild to keep an eye on it for clearance when parking or going under a canopy or into a garage.

Another alternative would be to mount a padded yoke on the back edge of the camper roof, and one on the rear of the boat trailer. than set the mast between them and hold them with stretchy bungee cords or something similar that will allow it to give and stretch for corners and going over dips and bumps. That would keep the mast well within the length of the truck/boat combination, but it will put the tip of the mast a few feet above the roof of the camper where you can not see it. That seems a bit risky to me.

I think the centerline of the camper roof is your best bet. the mast would hang off the roof about 8 ft forward and aft, and should be no more than 2 or 3 ft forward of your front bumpers (well within legal overhang I would say), and be over the trailer in the rear so there technically would be no overhang out the back. That would also be the safest way to carry it.

 

I'd rather not drill into my camper at all as it is an older wood framed model and I live in BC where it rains... All the time...

I've ideas for mounting something off the bit of my tail gate and front bumper but no designs.

The camper on the truck alone is about 9.5 (10) feet high and my truck, normally is 16 feet long bumper to bumper (short wheel base) with the camper I'd say I'm about 18feet for total truck length. The boat on it's trailer as a unit unto itself is about 20 or so feet in total. Overall length when I brought her home (first pic) was 36feet... My wallet remembers the ferry bill well...

 

This is the current set up, setting the mast far enough back onto the trailer so it clears the back of the camper. Does the over hang off the back look legal? (I'll flag it of course)





If this will be "legal" I just need to build a rack to carry the front so I don't scuff my boat.

 

I wouldn't do it.
Bet you the cops are attracted like flies.
You can't even begin to know where the back is when you are turning or backing.
Is your insurance paid up?

 

The cops wouldn't be an issue if it were simpler to find out how long of an overhang your are allowed to have but noooooo ICBC has to make it complicated for anyone to find out ANYTHING.

 

That will not work in the United States, the rear overhang is too large and I would think it would be a hazard, and almost impossible to back up safely.

In Washington state, which is very similar to all other state driving rules, they allow a max 3' front overhang from the front bumper, and a 15' from the centerline of the rear most axle. They are listed as "load extensions". You appear to be more than 15 past the rearmost axle.

The load limit size is 14 ft high and 8.5 ft wide, if you angle the mast within this "box" you might get it to fit. Other wise you will have no option but to carry it on the camper roof, with the 3 ft front overhang, it will only hang off the back about 6 ft, which should be well within the 15 ft from the truck rear axle, and certainly within the trailer axle limit.

 

one other option might be to lengthen the tung of the trailer so you can move the mast forward to get it within the overhang limit. there is a maximum total vehicle length limit of 53' but I think you are well within that.